'He Is Not An All-Rounder': Mohammad Kaif Gives Bold Assessment Of India Star Ahead Of T20 World Cup Super 8 Clash Against Zimbabwe In Chennai

India is set to face Zimbabwe in a do-or-die match for their second T20 World Cup Super 8 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on February 26, 2026. The Men in Blue have struggled with runs since the start of the tournament, with star batter Abhishek Sharma failing to make an impact so far in the tournament.

India faced a heavy 76-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in their opening T20 World Cup Super 8 match, failing to chase 188 runs with South Africa bowling them out at 111 runs in 18.5 overs. In the match against the Proteas, both the batting and bowling lines saw a massive collapse. Following the match, former India star Mohammad Kaif questioned Shivam Dube's role as an all-rounder.

The veteran player expressed that he was not convinced of Dube's all-rounder capabilities and labelled him as more of a batter than an all-rounder.

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Mohammad Kaif On Shivam Dube's Performance

Mohammad Kiaf recently shared in his YouTube video that Shivam Dube started playing defensively in the 10th over instead of attacking the Proteas, resulting in conceding crucial runs.

Kaif shared, "With the field and his plan to bowl wide to Brevis, Dube showed that he wanted to be very defensive. Nobody bowls defensively in the 10th over. You looked to attack and try to take a wicket at that time. According to me, Dube is a batter; he is not an all-rounder."

Mohammad Kaif further added, "We don't need an all-rounder who bowls at 120 kph. He might take an odd wicket but will always go for runs. He can even concede four sixes in an over against West Indies."

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Shivam Dube's Performance Against South Africa

Although the player has improved a lot in his role, Shivam Dube conceded 32 runs in the two overs he bowled against the Proteas and picked up just one wicket. So far this year, Dube has picked up 10 wickets at an average of 19.57, but his economy rate is higher than 10, and has given out crucial runs in the T20 World Cup so far.